Racial segregation

Racial segregation means separating people because of their races. Segregation was legal and normal in many countries across the world, for many years. For example, until 1964, it was still legal to separate white and African-American people in some states. In South Africa, from the 1940s until the 1990s, a system called apartheid kept white and black South Africans separate. Racial segregation has happened in many other countries, throughout history.

Segregation is not as simple as having "separate but equal" places for people of different races. Segregation happens when a country or a society views one race as better than another. The goal of segregation is to keep the "inferior" race away from the "better" race. Because one race is seen as "inferior," people of that race are not treated well. They go through discrimination. Often they are not given basic rights, like the right to vote. As a United States Supreme Court judge said in a case about segregation in schools: "separate facilities are [always] unequal."[1] Things did stop segregation, like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. They helped a lot by speaking up for their side, even though they knew that they would get in trouble. Rosa Parks made every black person stop using the buses until the bus company ran out of money (most of their money came from black people). This worked and the black people were allowed to use the buses without separation.

From the early 1800s to the late 1980s, the Australian government took many Aboriginal children away from their families.[4][5] Their families had not agreed to let their children go.[5] However, the government had decided to force Aboriginal children to "assimilate" into Australian society.[5] The children where placed in white homes or on missions.[5] There, they were forced to learn Christianity, leave behind their Aboriginal culture, become a part of white society, and marry white people.[6] The goal of this program was to "breed out" Aboriginal traits so that they no longer existed in Australia.[6] Later, in 1951, the United Nations would define this type of program as genocide.[a][7]

From about 1900 to the 1970s, Australia followed what became known as the "White Australia Policy." This policy kept non-white people from immigrating to Australia by making immigration tests too hard to pass.[6]

In the early- to mid-twentieth century, many Aborigines were forced to live on missions. The goal of this policy was to get the Aborigines off their lands, because white settlers wanted to use them.[6]

In the 1960s, Australia changed its official policy to "integration." This meant that the Aborigines had to be able to live in Australian society or on missions.[6] However, many Aborigines refused to follow these orders and kept living far away from cities. In these areas, they were segregated from the rest of Australian society, and were also poorer.[6] At the time, some people called the situation "apartheid," and even suggested that the Australian government's policies inspired the apartheid program in South Africa.[8][9][10]

In 1366, the King of England passed thirty-five laws called the Statutes of Kilkenny. Their goal was to prevent English settlers in Ireland from mixing with the Irish people or becoming too much like the Irish. The laws made it illegal the English to marry native Irish people, have Irish children, adopt Irish children, use Irish names or clothes, or speak anything but English.[11]

In 1935, after the Nazi Party had taken control of the German government, they passed the Nuremberg Laws. The Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, believed that the "Aryan" race was better than any other races.[17] The Nuremberg Laws made it illegal for "Aryan" and "non-Aryan" people to marry or have sex.[18] At first, the laws were mostly meant to keep "Aryans" from mixing with Jewish people (who the Nazis viewed as an inferior race[17]). However, the Nazis later added "Gypsies, Negroes and their bastard [children]" to the Laws.[19][20] Aryans who broke these laws could be sent to concentration camps; non-Aryans could be executed.[21] To keep German blood "pure," after World War II began, the Nazis made it illegal for any non-German to marry or have sex with a German person.[22]

During the 1930s and 1940s, the Nazis made Jews wear yellow ribbons or stars of David with the word "Jude" ("Jew") on them.[24] Racial laws discriminated against Jews and Roma people (Gypsies). For example, Jewish doctors were not allowed to treat Aryan patients; Jewish professors were not allowed to teach Aryan students.[25] Jews were not allowed to use any public transportation, besides the ferry; ride bicycles; or ride in cars.[24] They were allowed to shop only from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, and only in stores owned by Jews.[24] They could not go to theaters, swimming pools, or any other places for entertainment.[24]

Also, between 1939 and 1945, at least 1.5 million Polish people were deported to Nazi Germany for forced labour.[28][29] Nazi Germany also used forced laborers from Western Europe. However, Polish people and other Eastern Europeans who the Nazis viewed as racially inferior[30] were treated much worse. They were forced to wear a cloth tag on their clothing with the letter "P" on it, which showed that they were Polish. They had to follow a curfew and could not use public transportation. Usually, they had to work longer hours, for lower pay, than Western Europeans. In many cities, they had to live in segregated barracks, behind barbed wire. They were not allowed to talk to Germans outside of work. If they had sexual relations with Germans, they would be executed.[23]

During the Tang Dynasty, the Han Chinese passed several laws that segregated non-Chinese people from Chinese people. In 779, the Tang Dynasty made a rule which forced Uighurs to wear their traditional ethnic clothing, not Chinese clothing. It also banned them from 'pretending' to be Chinese, and from marrying Chinese women. The Han Chinese disliked the Uighurs because they loaned money for interest.[31]

In 836, when Lu Chun was appointed governor of Canton, he was disgusted to find Chinese living with foreigners and marrying them. Lu made segregation the law. He made it illegal for non-Chinese people to marry Chinese people or to own property.[31] The law specifically banned Chinese from forming relationships with "Dark peoples" or "People of color." This meant foreigners like "Iranians, Sogdians, Arabs, Indians, Malays, Sumatrans", and others.[32][33]

In Morocco, beginning in the 15th century, Jewish people were segregated in mellahs. In cities, a mellah was a separate area for Jews, surrounded by a wall with a fortified gateway. Ruralmellahs were separate villages where only Jews lived.[43]

…they [have] to live in a separate part of town…; for they are considered as unclean creatures… [So] they are treated with the greatest severity and should they enter a street, inhabited by Mussulmans [Muslims], they are [hit] by the boys and mobs with stones and dirt…

For the same reason, they are [not allowed] to go out when it rains; for it is said the rain would wash dirt off them, which would [dirty] the feet of the Mussulmans…

If a Jew is recognized as such in the streets, he [suffers] the greatest insults. The passers-by spit in his face, and sometimes beat him… unmercifully…

If a Jew enters a shop for anything, he is forbidden to inspect the goods… Should his hand incautiously touch the goods, he must take them at any price the seller chooses to ask for them... Sometimes the Persians intrude into the [homes] of the Jews and take possession of whatever please them. Should the owner make the least opposition in defense of his property, he [risks paying] for it with his life...

If... a Jew shows himself in the street during the three days of the Katel (Muharram)…, he is sure to be murdered.[44]

Slavery existed in South Africa until 1833. However, two years later, the government passed a law that changed slaves into indentured servants. This system was not very different from slavery. Throughout the rest of the 1800s, the South African colonies passed laws that limited these worker's rights and freedoms.

In 1894 and 1905, the government passed laws saying that "Indians"[51] and 'blacks"[52] had no right to vote. Other laws discriminated against non-whites, but were not as bad as the apartheid laws that would come within the next 50 years.

Under these apartheid laws, between 1960 to 1983, 3.5 million non-white South Africans were forced to leave their homes and move into segregated neighborhoods. This is one of the largest mass removals in modern history.[56]

Other laws made it illegal for a person to marry or have sex with a person of a different race.[55] Then, in 1969, the government took away "Coloured" people's right to vote. Since "Indians" and "blacks" had not been allowed to vote for decades, this meant that whites were the only people in South Africa who were allowed to vote.[55]

In 1970, non-whites were banned from having representatives in the government.[55] That same year, black people's South African citizenship was taken away.[55]

↑In the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the definition of "genocide" includes "forcible transfer of children." The Convention went into effect in January 1951.[7]

↑A caste system is a system of dividing people into groups. One group is viewed as the best, and has the most rights, freedoms, and privileges. Another group is viewed as the worst, most inferior group. This group often has very few rights, freedoms, or privileges, and is often very poor. Every other group is ranked somewhere in between. Every group has different rights and privileges.[45] For an example, see the page on the caste system in India, where people in the lowest caste are called "Untouchables".

↑Majer, Diemut (2003). "Non-Germans" Under the Third Reich: The Nazi Judicial and Administrative System in Germany and Occupied Eastern Europe with Special Regard to Occupied Poland, 1939–1945. JHU Press. p. 180. ISBN978-0-8018-6493-3.

↑Martínez, María Elena (2002). "The Spanish Concept of Limpieza de Sangre and the Emergence of the Race/Caste System in the Viceroyalty of New Spain (Ph.D. dissertation)". University of Chicago.Missing or empty |url= (help)